Study of Law Officer Benefits Ordered

President Bush has signed into law (P.L. 108-196) a measure passed late in the 2003 congressional session ordering the Office of Personnel Management to produce by April 30 a report comparing the classifications, pay and benefits among federal law enforcement officers in various agencies and recommendations “for ensuring, to the maximum extent practicable, the elimination of disparities” among them. It’s the latest in a series of looks at the differing pay and benefits packages that have emerged over the years among the law enforcement agencies and comes as the Department of Homeland Security is trying to sort through the various policies governing employees it inherited. The measure also establishes an employee exchange program between federal and state and local law enforcement agencies.